Chapter 32: The River God's Fury, Six Towns Submerged

Donghe Town had, by this moment, been transformed into a vast realm of water!

The river surged, overturning the town; the settlement of tens of thousands was entirely submerged by the flood.

The water in the town was now over ten feet deep. Countless people struggled in the currents, only to be helplessly swallowed by the waves.

The lucky ones clung to withered trees or floating door panels torn from collapsed houses, rising and falling with the swells of the water.

The dozens of Qi Refining rogue cultivators had long since vanished, whether swallowed by the flood or having fled elsewhere, no one knew.

Watching the River God ascend the shore, Zhang Qing’s face remained deathly pale, but the fear had vanished from her eyes. Looking at her best friend, who was clenching her fists tightly, she whispered, "Retreat. Fight and retreat. Head toward Qingping Mountain; there are preparations waiting there."

Xu Xiao gritted her teeth and nodded, activating her brocade handkerchief to carry Zhang Qing toward Qingping Mountain.

The River God had naturally detected the tracks of Xu Xiao and Zhang Qing; upon the vast expanse of the marshland, the two of them riding the brocade handkerchief were far too conspicuous.

"Disciples of the Moon-Grabbing Sect?"

The River God grinned ferociously. He raised his pointed trident, and infinite water vapor rose into the air, transforming into a dense swarm of water needles that lunged toward the two women, propelled by the wind.

The swarm of water needles fell like a torrential downpour, so dense that a single glance inspired despair.

Without hesitation, Xu Xiao produced a talisman and activated it. Instantly, a glaze-like light shield enveloped her and Zhang Qing.

As the dense needles struck the glaze shield, a series of clanging sounds rang out. Ripples splashed against the barrier, but the shield did not shatter, continuing to protect the two women firmly.

The River God was not surprised. As an inner disciple of a Golden Core sect in Qingzhou and a personal disciple of a Zifu-level Elder, it was only natural for her to possess a few trump cards.

He did not mind the failed strike. His primary goal for this trip was to establish prestige; furthermore, if he truly killed Xu Xiao, attracting that Zifu Elder would not be a good thing. The River God did not wish to expose himself yet; he needed to remain in hiding, and establishing dominance was enough for now.

As for how to establish that dominance, he would naturally use the lives of tens of thousands of mortals from the six towns of Qingshan to do it!

With half of Qingshan County flooded, the commoners would naturally be filled with awe and terror, and the other twelve counties of Dong Prefecture would not dare to harbor any improper thoughts again.

With this thought, the River God ignored Xu Xiao and Zhang Qing, instead manipulating the flood to surge toward the other towns along the banks.

The commoners of the various towns along the Taiping River in Qingshan County watched helplessly as the river began to churn violently. Experienced elders knew a great flood was coming, but before they could even run, they saw river water several yards high roaring toward them, submerging the towns in the next instant.

At this moment, the entire area along the Taiping River in Qingshan County had turned into a water kingdom. The surging river continuously spread toward the heart of Qingshan Town, as countless commoners cried out and fled toward more distant lands.

As the first wave of people reached the county seat with news, the gentry and wealthy merchants within Qingshan County learned that the River God had grown angry and had flooded several towns.

Terrified out of their wits, they hurriedly ordered the city gates to be closed tight and all exits blocked to prevent the county seat from being submerged by the flood as well.

Meanwhile, the commoners in the towns within the heart of Qingshan County scrambled to flee toward Qingping Mountain, bringing their entire families along.

There was no use staying in the county seat when the flood came; only hiding on the mountains offered safety.

The River God manipulated the flood to swallow towns and villages one by one along the way. Watching these mortals kneel in plea or scatter in terror, he felt an immense sense of gratification.

He did not drown everyone. He needed these mortals to provide faith; drowning a portion was enough to intimidate these ignorant masses who were as cheap as grass.

He even deliberately drove the river water to follow behind these mortals, watching them run aimlessly toward Qingping Mountain.

"Run, run! You'll end up drowned in the end anyway," the River God sneered. He raised his trident, and vast amounts of water vapor surged, falling as a torrential downpour.

In the depths of winter, a heavy rain fell. The water was freezing, constantly draining the people's strength and body heat. Even Xu Xiao had to maintain a magical barrier to resist the damp, cold, and sinister rain.

Watching the mortals who could no longer run kneeling in the mud, incessantly kowtowing to beg for his forgiveness, the River God felt the power of incense within him grow slightly stronger.

In a vague sense, the River God had realized: this was exactly how one must keep mortals in a state of constant awe.

Suddenly, a whistling surge of scorching spiritual energy from his diagonal rear interrupted the River God's thoughts.

Turning his head, he saw a disheveled, bare-chested, and barefoot man wielding a heavy sword, swinging it toward him with immense fiery rage!

The newcomer was Wenren Jie.

"I knew you would set an ambush!"

The River God casually raised his trident to block. Water vapor surged as the trident, imbued with water spiritual energy, collided with Wenren Jie's flame-burning heavy sword.

In an instant, metal clashed against metal. The forces of water and fire eroded and incinerated one another. Water vapor rose and flames burned, evaporating large amounts of rain and creating a localized vacuum.

At that exact moment, a green bamboo staff pierced through from the other side like a sharp arrow.

The newcomer was none other than Qiao Xuan.

Facing Qiao Xuan, who possessed the strength of the late Foundation Establishment stage, the River God became much more vigilant.

Qiao Xuan's green bamboo staff was as cunning and ruthless as a jade arrow, piercing through layers of air with a piercing hum.

The green spiritual energy burning upon it vibrated in a spiral, appearing as if nothing could resist it.

In the next moment, the River God grasped the air with his left hand, condensing layers of water barriers in front of him. Qiao Xuan remained expressionless, driving the bamboo staff straight through the layers of water barriers.

Faced with this move, a hint of surprise appeared in the River God's golden vertical pupils.

He was forced to coat his left hand in water spiritual energy, then used his bare left hand to seize the bamboo staff, bringing the tip—which carried terrifying spiritual power—to a halt at his waist.

Before the River God could breathe a sigh of relief, Lord Kongxu and Xu Xiao moved as well.

One in front and one behind, Lord Kongxu's Bishui Sword and Xu Xiao's Kongyue Sword unleashed two streaks of sword qi in a pincer attack, aiming directly at the River God's exposed chest and undefended back.

This was clearly a pre-arranged trap!

"Hmph!"

The River God endured the two streaks of sword qi with his physical body. He then erupted with power, causing waves to surge violently around him, forcing Wenren Jie and Qiao Xuan to retreat.

Having pushed the two back, the River God looked down at the deep sword wound on his chest. On his blue-faced, fanged visage, there was not a trace of surprise or fear.

The River God looked up at the four of them and sneered, "With just four Foundation Establishment cultivators, you dare to seek death?"

Stroking the wound on his chest, the River God stared at the four with eyes full of cruelty. "It really hurts. Little girl, do you know? I had originally intended to let you go. But you came looking for death yourself."

"Now, the Moon-Grabbing Sect will be missing an inner disciple."

As he spoke, under the stunned gazes of Xu Xiao, Wenren Jie, and Qiao Xuan, the sword wound on the River God's chest actually began to heal, returning to its original state in the blink of an eye.

"Do you truly think a group of Foundation Establishment cultivators can wound this God?"

"Die!"

The River God suddenly erupted, riding a wave of water straight toward Xu Xiao. He raised his right arm high with the trident, smashing it down with the force of ten million *jun* of water.

Wenren Jie's eyes widened. He stepped directly in front of Xu Xiao, his entire body erupting with spiritual energy as he swung his heavy sword to meet the trident that radiated terrifying spiritual fluctuations.

With a thunderous boom, the trident and the heavy sword collided. Wenren Jie felt as if he were not blocking a trident, but a small mountain!

His arms began to tremble, and the heavy sword emitted the sound of cracking under unbearable pressure. Wenren Jie felt the bones in his arms groaning.

In the next instant, Wenren Jie was slammed into the muddy ground, and his heavy sword was completely destroyed.

At this moment, Wenren Jie's arms were shaking uncontrollably, his thick arms covered in bursting wounds from which blood continuously seeped.

The River God gave Wenren Jie no chance to catch his breath. He raised his trident and fell like a descending meteor, carrying infinite water vapor, intending to slay Wenren Jie on the spot.

"Not good!"

Qiao Xuan and Xu Xiao acted simultaneously. A surge of green spiritual energy swept Wenren Jie to the rear, while Xu Xiao met the River God with her sword, her Kongyue Sword slashing out streaks of freezing sword light.

"Overestimating your strength!"

The trident crashed down like a mountain peak, stirring up waves dozens of feet high.

The river water, weighing ten million *jun*, swept in all directions with an incomparable momentum, swallowing everything in its vicinity in an instant.

Seeing the surging waves approach, Xu Xiao dodged in time and escaped without injury.

Retreating rapidly to the side of the other three, Xu Xiao gripped her Kongyue Sword tightly, remaining wary of the River God's movements.

Though she appeared unharmed, her rapid, heaving chest indicated that the previous clash had clearly exhausted much of her strength.

To face a Zifu-level expert with a Foundation Establishment realm was an incredibly difficult feat.

Where in this world were there so many geniuses capable of defying higher realms?

The power of the Zifu realm was simply not something an ordinary Foundation Establishment cultivator could withstand.

Forget the four of them; even if ten more arrived, they could not stop a Zifu cultivator's full strength.

After only a brief exchange, the River God appeared to remain in complete victory, yet they had already lost one. If the fight continued, they might all perish here.

Wenren Jie endured his injuries and swallowed a medicinal pill. "Why haven't Wang Tianfang and the others arrived yet?!"

Lord Kongxu stood beside Wenren Jie and sneered, "They took the items and ran. Did you really expect them to come here to die?"

"A bunch of bastards... I—!" Before Wenren Jie could finish, a sharp pain erupted in his abdomen.

Looking down at the dharma sword that had pierced through his dantian, Wenren Jie looked at Lord Kongxu in shock.

Lord Kongxu still wore a gentle smile, but the smile looked utterly fake. "Forgive me, Fellow Daoist Wen. I have no desire to die in vain."

"You're a traitor!" Wenren Jie's face was filled with rage, but he could not muster even a shred of spiritual power; his damaged dantian wouldn't even allow him to self-detonate.

"Yes, but so what? In the end, I am the winner!" As Lord Kongxu spoke, his left hand, covered in a layer of ghostly blue spiritual light, struck directly onto Wenren Jie's head.

The ghostly blue, freezing spiritual energy exploded. Wenren Jie's head shattered like fruit in a deep freeze, accompanied by wisps of frost.

"Traitor!"

"You seek death!"

In a fit of shock and fury, Xu Xiao and Qiao Xuan joined forces to attack Lord Kongxu, but they were blocked by the waves slashed out by the River God. Meanwhile, Lord Kongxu leisurely retreated to the River God's side.

In the blink of an eye, with one dead and one turned traitor, only Xu Xiao and Qiao Xuan remained.

The River God sneered, his eyes full of cruelty. "Now, what reinforcements do you have left?"